Island Lake

Island Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Minnesota lake of its size and depth. The lake's weakest score is on Secchi depth — the water looks more turbid than its phosphorus number alone would predict.

A TSI near 47 places Island Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. A maximum depth of 37 ft puts Island Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. At 240 acres, Island Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 5.5 miles of shoreline. Island Lake ranks 92 of 120 in Crow Wing County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Island Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Walleye are documented at Island Lake, one of 12 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Island Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a partial ice record — 7 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 18. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.